Defining hotspots and coldspots of regulating and maintenance ecosystem services is key to effective marine management – An assessment of a coastal-open sea gradient, Portugal

Coastal and marine ecosystems provide valuable ecosystem services (ES) from which humans derive societal goods and benefits (SG&B) after inputting human capital. Their assessment and integration into management plans are crucial to maintain ecosystem productivity and ensure robust and resilient ecosystems. However, regulating and maintenance ecosystem services (RMES) are usually not given focused attention in ecosystem services assessments, despite their importance in supporting the ecological foundations of ecosystems and the provision of other ES. This research used regional to local indicators and spatial analysis to assess the provision of RMES along a coastal-open sea gradient in the northern coast of Portugal, as a tool to define priority areas for ecosystem-based and protected area management. Nine classes of RMES were identified and eleven indicators were used as proxies to assess and evaluate the continuum coast-sea multifunctionality, ES/SG&B bundles and hotspots and coldspots of ES supply. The study showed that 20% of the study area was classified as hotspots of RMES provision, i.e. areas with statistically significant higher values of RMES provision within the management area, and 28% classified as coldspots, i.e. areas with minimal values. The hotspots were mainly distributed along coastal areas and estuaries, with three main marine regions identified. While in general 39% of the areas identified as important for RMES provision were already protected, in the marine region only 30% of the key areas for RMES provision identified in this study are currently protected. The methods used in this work, using locally based and spatially explicit information on RMES provision, are applicable to other areas globally, as they are fundamental in supporting more effective management decisions at spatial scales from local to the wider regions.This research was partially supported by the project OCEAN3R - Reduce pressures, restore and regenerate the NW-Portuguese ocean and waters , NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000064 , co-funded by Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (NORTE 2020), through Portugal 2020 and Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) , by national funds through FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology within the scope of UIDB/04423/2020 , UIDP/04423/2020 , UIDB/04033/2020 and UIDP/04033/2020 ; and by JC PhD fellowship from FCT Do*Mar (ref. PD/BD/150359/2019 , co-financed by FSE through Programa Operacional Regional Norte ), and a research contract to SR ( DL57/2016/CP1344/CT0020 ). This study has also received support from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the grant agreement Nº GA 101082048 . The contribution of ME was funded in part under the EU HorizonEurope MARBEFES project ( MARine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning leading to Ecosystem Services , https://www.marbefes.eu/ ) through the UKRI Grant Agreement no. 10048815 . We also acknowledge the time and constructive feedback that greatly helped to improve the quality of this manuscript by two anonymous reviewers

Phytoplankton analysis of portuguese reservoirs: a cluster analysis with R

In this work, cluster analysis is applied to a real dataset of biological features of several Portuguese reservoirs. All the statistical analysis is done using R statistical software. Several metrics and methods were explored, as well as the combination of Euclidean metric and the hierarchical Ward method. Although it did not present the best combination in terms of internal and stability validation, it was still a good solution and presented good results in terms of interpretation of the problem at hand

Multi biomarker responses of Asian clam Corbicula fluminea (Bivalvia, Corbiculidea) to cadmium and microplastics pollutants

One of the wide spread aquatic organisms in the rivers and estuaries ecosystems in the World is Asian clam Corbicula fluminea. The exotic clam is an invasive species that can adapt to environmental changes, also it was adopted as a model to toxicity tests. The study evaluated the effects of the exposure to cadmium and microplastics their mixtures on Corbicula fluminea, oxidative stress responses, lipid peroxidation, changed the activity of energy-related enzymes and neurotoxicity on the gill, the digestive gland and the gonad. The results of this study show that Cd, MPs and their mixtures cause oxidative stress and damage and neurotoxicity. The enzymes superoxide dismutase, glutathione S-transferase, acetylcholinesterase and the measure of LPO levels could be chosen as biomarker of Cd pollution. With MPs conditions increased levels of GSH/GSSG ratio and AChE are highly correlated. The combination of Cd and MPs exposure caused a synergetic effect in gill and gonad, while an antagonism response was recorded in digestive gland. The results provide new insights for unveiling the biologic effects of heavy metal, microplastics and their mixtures on Corbicula fluminea. Besides, we demonstrated that the Asian clam is a good bioindicator of microplastics pollution that can occur in the aquatic environments.Preprin

Quantifying the role of saltmarsh as a vulnerable carbon sink: A case study from Northern Portugal

Saltmarshes play a crucial role in carbon sequestration and storage, although they are increasingly threatened by climate change-induced sea level rise (SLR). This study assessed the potential variation in Blue Carbon stocks across regional and local scales, and estimated their economic value and potential habitat loss due to SLR based on the IPCC AR6 scenarios for 2050 and 2100 in three estuarine saltmarshes in northern Portugal, the saltmarshes of the Minho, Lima and Cávado estuaries. The combined carbon stock of these saltmarshes was 38,798 ± 2880 t of organic carbon, valued at 3.96 ± 0.38 M€. Local and regional differences in carbon stocks were observed between common species, with the cordgrass Spartina patens and the reed Phragmites australis consistently showing higher values in the Lima saltmarsh in some of the parameters. Overall, the Lima saltmarsh had the highest total carbon per species cover, with S. patens showing the highest values among common species. Bolboschoenus maritimus had the highest values in the Minho saltmarsh, while the other species presented a similar carbon storage capacity. Potential habitat loss due to SLR was most evident in the Cávado saltmarsh over shorter timescales, with a significant risk of inundation even for median values of SLR, while the Lima saltmarsh was shown to be more resistant and resilient. If habitat loss directly equates to carbon loss within these saltmarshes, projected CO2 emissions may range from 22,000 to 43,449 t by 2050 and 33,000 to 130,000 t by 2100 (under the IPCC SSP5–8.5 scenario). The study shows the importance of Blue Carbon site-specific estimates, acknowledging the potential future repercussions from habitat loss due to SLR. It emphasizes the need to consider local and regional variability in Blue Carbon stocks assessments and highlights the critical importance of preserving and rehabilitating these ecosystems to ensure their continued efficacy as vital carbon sinks, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation efforts.This research was partially supported by the project ATLANTIDA, co- funded by Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (NORTE 2020), through Portugal 2020 and Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER), by national funds through FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology within the scope of UIDB/04423/2020 and UIDP/04423/2020, and of IDB/04033/2020 and UIDP/04033/2020; and by JC Ph.D. fellowship from FCT Do*Mar (ref. PD/BD/150359/ 2019, co-financed by FSE through Programa Operacional Regional Norte), and a research contract to SR (DL57/2016/CP1344/CT0020). This study has also received support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the grant agreement N◦ GA 101082048. The contribution of ME was funded in part under the EU HorizonEurope MARBEFES project (MARine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning leading to Ecosystem Services, https://www. marbefes.eu/) through the UKRI Grant Agreement N◦ 10048815. SV thanks the financial support of the EU Atlanteco project through the Grant Agreement N◦ 862923. The authors thank Paulo Alves for his support in species identification. The authors also acknowledge the time and constructive feedback from three anonymous reviewers that greatly helped to improve the quality of this manuscript

Myostatin-like proteins regulate synaptic function and neuronal morphology

Growth factors of the TGFβ superfamily play key roles in regulating neuronal and muscle function. Myostatin (or GDF8) and GDF11 are potent negative regulators of skeletal muscle mass. However, expression of myostatin and its cognate receptors in other tissues, including brain and peripheral nerves, suggests a potential wider biological role. Here, we show that Myoglianin (MYO), the Drosophila homolog of myostatin and GDF11, regulates not only body weight and muscle size, but also inhibits neuromuscular synapse strength and composition in a Smad2-dependent manner. Both myostatin and GDF11 affected synapse formation in isolated rat cortical neuron cultures, suggesting an effect on synaptogenesis beyond neuromuscular junctions. We also show that MYO acts in vivo to inhibit synaptic transmission between neurons in the escape response neural circuit of adult flies. Thus, these anti-myogenic proteins act as important inhibitors of synapse function and neuronal growth

Climate and landscape changes as driving forces for future range shift in southern populations of the European badger

Human-Induced Rapid Environmental Change (HIREC), particularly climate change and habitat conversion, affects species distributions worldwide. Here, we aimed to (i) assess the factors that determine range patterns of European badger (Meles meles) at the southwestern edge of their distribution and (ii) forecast the possible impacts of future climate and landcover changes on those patterns. We surveyed 272 cells of 5 × 5 km, to assess badger presence and confirmed its occurrence in 95 cells (35%). Our models estimate that badger's presence is promoted by the occurrence of herbaceous fields and shrublands (5%-10%), and low proportions of Eucalyptus plantations (50% of podzols and eruptive rocks, higher sheep/goat density (>4 ind/km ), an absence of cattle, intermediate precipitation regimes (800-1000 mm/year) and mild mean temperatures (15-16 °C) are also more likely to host badgers. We predict a decrease in favourability of southern areas for hosting badgers under forecasted climate and landcover change scenarios, which may lead to a northwards retraction of the species southern distribution limit, but the overall landscape favourability is predicted to slightly increase. The forecasted retraction may affect community functional integrity, as its role in southern ecological networks will be vacant

Ecological relationships between phytoplankton communities and different spatial scales in European reservoirs: implications at catchment level monitoring programmes

Phytoplankton communities are structured by factors acting over temporal and spatial scales. Identifying which factors are driving spatial patterns in aquatic communities is the central aim of ecology. In this study, data sets of phytoplankton communities and nvironmental data of two Portuguese servoirs types (lowland ‘‘riverine reservoirs’’ and higher altitude ‘‘artificial lake reservoirs’’) were used to determine the importance of environmental variables at different spatial (geographical, regional and local) and time scales (seasons, years) on the community tructure. In all the data sets, the multivariate ordination techniqu

Integrating ecosystem services into sustainable landscape management: A collaborative approach

The Paiva River is considered one of the least polluted rivers in Europe and its watershed has a high conservation value. However, the Paiva River basin suffers pressures related with recurrent disturbances in land use, such as forest fires, agricultural activities, urbanization and pressures that affect the natural hydromorphological conditions and the continuity of watercourses. Blue and Green Infrastructures (BGINs) emerge to improve biodiversity, sustainability and the supply of ecosystem services while improving socioeconomic aspects. Thus, this article aims to identify priority areas in the basin, for intervention with these infrastructures. For that, a spatial multicriteria decision analysis (MDCA) was carried out according to several data related to the Paiva River Basin. As local politicians and responsible entities for the natural resources management are the main experts on the problems and their possible solutions at the local level, they were involved in this decision-making model. Therefore, these specialized stakeholders did the weighting assignment according to the most or least importance of the same for the work. The map of priority locations to implement BGINs was obtained in the sequel. To the top 5 priority areas, stakeholders attributed the best solutions based on nature. The most recommended BGINs were recovery/maintenance of riparian vegetation and conservation and reforestation of the native forest, both presented in four of the five areas, and introduction of fuel management strips presented in three of the five areas. Thus, we concluded that it is extremely important to include the communities and the competent entities of nature and environment management in scientific projects related to conservation, forming a synergy that makes it possible to combine scientific knowledge with local experience acquired in the field. This project uses a very flexible methodology of local data and can be a great example to be implemented in other hydrographic basins anywhere in the world